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Banzai Cliff

As a Chamorro historian, I’ve read much and written much about Chamorro history, but nearly everything I’ve read or written is in the English language. After losing both my grandparents in the past two years, I’ve become much more sensitive to the fact that our most fluent generation, i manåmko’, are disappearing and the language along with it. Many of their stories have been recorded and documented, but nearly always in English and not in their native language.

Earlier this year I assisted i nobia-hu Dr. Isa Kelley Bowman with her oral history project Hongga Mo’na, in which we interviewed nine Chamorros with interesting stories, in the Chamorro language. Another, a tenth interview was also conducted, but as the subject couldn’t speak Chamorro, it was conducted in English. She is working furiously right now to finish up her website. Gefpågo’ i fina’tinas-ña, ya achokka’ ti este i lenguahi-ña pat i estoria-ña, ha gof sapopotte i nina’honggå-ña.

I’ve tried to do more and more in the past year to write small fragments or pieces in Chamorro, contributing them to different projects. Below is one such example, a short piece, included amongst several others, that I contributed to the I Ma’adahen i Fino’ Chamorro gi Koleho project. It provides some short details on the historical importance of Banzai Cliff in Saipan.

It is imperative that, right now, while we still have so many fluent speakers (20,000 +) in the world, we document and write as much as we can, as once they are gone, mumas mappot siempre.